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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Former Iraq General Paints Rosy Picture of Falluja |
| 2004-05-05 |
| Wed May 5, 2004 11:56 AM ET By Michael Georgy FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - One of Saddam Hussein’s former generals entrusted with taming Falluja said Wednesday he hoped to impose security in the country’s most rebellious town without firing a single bullet. Anyone else’s skepticism meter starting to smoke? "The best strategy is to get what you want without firing a single bullet," said Gen. Muhammad Latif after discussing the fate of the troubled town with a top U.S. Marine commander. "I consider this the best strategy in history," said Latif. He painted a bright picture of the task of calming people infuriated by a month-long U.S. siege and fierce battles that have killed hundreds of people in the city west of Baghdad. How many of those "hundreds" were men of fighting age? Until that number is published they can stuff their "infuriation" where the sun don’t shine. He also played down the role of foreign fighters that U.S. Marines blame for some of the violence gripping Iraq and the challenge of retrieving heavy weapons that the Americans have been demanding from guerrillas for weeks. "Maybe there are some, more than 30 kicked underground and the others escaped. I didn’t see anyone and I have no information on anyone," said Latif as he left a dusty makeshift meeting area. No foreign fighters = DELUSIONAL The heavy weapons have been silent for days as Latif’s men try to spread a sense of security in Falluja. "These are not a problem. If they are there we will retrieve them. We will hit any group that causes trouble or whose weapons is a threat to peace," Latif said. U.S. Marines said they planned to lift a cordon around Falluja Wednesday and allow traffic in for the first time in a month. Troops of the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps Tuesday began manning checkpoints previously guarded by U.S. troops. U.S. forces are hoping the new Falluja Brigade, commanded by Latif and predominantly made up of former members of Saddam’s military, will crush 2,000 rebels and root out perhaps 200 foreign militants. Lift the cordon after the heavy weapons are confiscated and not a minute before. Maj. Gen. James Mattis, commander of the 1st Marines Division, said it was too early to gauge whether Latif’s men could pacify Falluja. "The proof is in the execution. We will have to see how that goes," he said before holding talks with Latif. The former Iraqi general declined to discuss any concrete steps his forces would take in Falluja, preferring instead to stress that residents of the traumatized town wanted peace. "As long as I build the city again and open up the streets and plant love, there will be no problem," Latif said. Flowery oratory ain’t gonna cut any ice right now. Plant some insurgents first and then get back to us, emkay? That’s the only "proof of execution" that will carry any weight around here. Guerrillas may have laid down their arms but it is not clear if the insurgents will cooperate with U.S.-backed forces. "That’s the $64,000 question isn’t it? We will have to see. I don’t like to speculate. I go with the facts. So far the jury is out on that," Mattis said. "That is for the Iraqis to deal with right now. What they are doing is putting together forces, moving them into town, equipping them. That’s a challenge obviously for anybody." Asked if he was in contact with insurgents or reached a deal with them, Latif said: "There is no agreement with them whatsoever but when there is peace the enemies of peace escape." If we’re equipping these guys, they had better assign specific weapons to each recruit and trace any lost or recaptured arms back to those individuals for "followup." Anyone else get a sense that Latif’s been breathing his own exhaust? |
| Posted by:Zenster |
| #3 Ummm, I'm not sure by "kicked underground" he meant that literally, as in 6 feet .... |
| Posted by: rkb 2004-05-05 5:06:57 PM |
| #2 actually he didn't say the 30 left, he said: "30 kicked underground" I like that |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-05-05 3:18:05 PM |
| #1 As long as I build the city again and open up the streets and plant love, there will be no problem," Latif said Should be good for comic relief if nothing else:) Seriusly, he didnt say there were NO foreign fighters, he said about 30 left, the rest fled. Given that there were probably never more than a couple of hundred foreign fighters there (15-20% out of 2000 total, per Centcom) and given other sources say the cordon was "less than airtight" this may be within the realm of plausibility. And of course his goal IS to win with minimum bloodshed - zero is probably unrealistic, but well every biz school teaches "stretch goals" no? Of course the guy is NOT a combat commander, hes an intel guy. But hes not a Baathist, so hes more acceptable. The USMC WILL have to keep a close watch. |
| Posted by: Liberalhawk 2004-05-05 3:12:55 PM |